Freeman Sportsperson of the Year Ostrovetsky completes her spectacular year with state medal

Few student-athletes achieve all of their goals, particularly in a individualistic sport such as tennis, but the Wallkill High senior’s reign was something to behold in 2013.

The Freeman’s Sportsperson of the Year continued her dominance on the Mid-Hudson Athletic League scene and even in the Ulster County Open Tournament. She returned to the top in Section 9 and — as a final touch — became the first area girl to medal in 20 years at the New York State Public High School Athletic Association tournament.

She made it all the way to the semifinals and eventually earned a third-place medal.

“The year, it’s been so eventful, so crazy,” the 17-year-old said. “To win MHALs and the section again and to place third at states, it was incredible.

“Losing as a junior, it made it that more important. I wanted to win, especially since it was my senior year.”

Ostrovetsky became only the third woman to be named Sportsperson of the Year in the 30-year history of the honor, joining Dana Postupack (2005) and Kate Smith (1998).

Ostrovetsky kept busy in the summer, competing in five USTA junior tournaments and returning to repeat as Ulster County’s singles champion. She defeated Suzanne McAuliffe 6-1, 6-0 for the title and, a couple of hours later, partnered with John Zerbo to win the mixed doubles championship.

She has ruled the local scholastic scene for the last three years, going 50-1 against Section 9 opponents, including 22-1 overall this past fall.

Her only loss was a straight-set defeat to Minisink Valley’s Taylor Gurda in last year’s Section 9 finals.

“It definitely helped as motivation,” said Ostrovetsky, who had defeated Gurda for her first-ever section crown in 2011.

Ostrovetsky has come a long way from when she was a seventh-grader losing in the first round of the MHAL tournament.

As an eighth-grader and freshman, she was on the outside looking in when it came to the state tournament.

“As an eighth-grader and sophomore, I didn’t make it there. I’ve never even gotten that far,” she said.

The top three in sectionals advance to states and, for those two years, she placed fourth.

The goal back then was just reaching the state tourney.

The final rounds of the MHAL tournament proved to be a real test for Ostrovetsky this year, tangling with a pair of Spackenkill players who got to every shot and forced long rallies. She had to be on top of her game, mentally and physically.

It took nearly two hours to turn back Vanessa Lam-Tran 7-5, 6-3 in the semifinals. After Sophia He took the opening game in the finals — the first time all season anyone had won a game from Ostrovetsky — the Wallkill ace rallied for a 2-6, 6-1, 6-0 triumph.

That made Ostrovetsky the first girl to win three consecutive MHAL singles titles since Postupack did it for John A. Coleman Catholic in 2003-05.

Ostrovetsky became the first area player to win two Section 9 titles since fellow Panther Kristin Curtis (2001-02) when she shut out Valley Central’s Sara Satskowski 6-0, 6-0 in the finals a week later.

Ostrovetsky knew this year was different.

“After the Section 9 win, I had a good feeling that I would do well,” she said.

She lost just four games in a a pair of victories at the state tournament that put her in the quarterfinals. A 7-3 second-set tiebreak gave her a 6-3, 7-6 triumph over Section 2’s Claire Schmitz to put her in the semifinals and assure herself of a top-four medal.

Ostrovetsky was undefeated at 21-0 when she took on top-seeded Christina Sisti of Ursuline in the semis. Sisti, who went on to win the championship, held on to win 6-4, 6-3.

Just 45 minutes after her first loss of the year, Ostrovetsky defeated Shoreham-Wading River’s Aimee Manfredo 6-4, 6-1 to place third.

“I just pushed it aside and focused on what I had to do,” she said. “This (the medal) was the missing piece of the puzzle in high school tennis for me.”

It was the first time an area girl had earn a medal at states since Kingston’s Kelly Weaver won the title as a junior in 1994.

Ostrovetsky never imagined winning a medal at states when she first started playing scholastic tennis

“I didn’t look into the future, not then. I just played my game,” she admitted. “This had been my goal since I was a junior.”

Hard to begin it has been just eight years ago when Ostrovetsky discovered the sport with “rackets hitting a ball” at summer camp.

Something drew her to tennis and, to this day, she has never questioned it.

“It was something unknown. I felt I had to do it. I started really liking it,” said Ostrovetsky, whose other favorite sport was soccer.

Soon there were private lessons at the Orange Hollow Racquet Club in Goshen.

“Me and her were always going out to play, especially on weekends at OCCC (Orange County Community College),” said her father, Stan Ostrovetsky.

When the family moved from Middletown to Wallkill, Olga began taking lessons from Nick Hummel, Head Professional at the New Windsor Sportsplex.

“They’re my biggest motivators,” said Ostrovetsky about her dad and Hummel.

She glanced at her father and said, with admiration, “He’s the one person pushing me.”

On the court, Ostrovetsky is a tenacious competitor who tries to stay two strokes ahead of her opponent while figuring them out.

“You just focus, get a sense of their weaknesses and strengths,”

Asked to evaluate her own game, Ostrovetsky says her strength is her mental game and the weakness is her backhand.

She knows she can, and will, improve.

“There’s always a potential to be better.”

She is keeping busy during the winter with both tennis and Nordic skiing. She has been on Wallkill’s cross country ski team since she was in eight grade.

“I made a lot of friends who are on the team and they encouraged me,” she said.

Ostrovetsky, who placed 26th at states last year, is one of the top skiers on the Section 9 circuit this season.

She was seeded 10th in the National Open Tournament at the USTA National Tennis Center last week in Flushing Meadow. She went 1-1, losing in the Round of 32.

Ostrovetsky is currently ranked 21st in the USTA’s Eastern Section in 18-and-under Juniors.

Unlike when she was younger, she now looks into the future.

“One of my goals is to win a USTA tournament.”

Another goal was accomplished the same November weekend at states when she verbally committed to Division I Binghamton University.

“Since I started with Nick Hummel, my goal has been to play Division I tennis,” said Ostrovetsky, who goes from being a Panther to a Bobcat.

“One of my best friends (Rebecca Marwin) goes there. I visited the school, she told me all about it, all the programs, I fell in love with it and decided to email the coach.”

Third-year coach Libby McGovern’s team went 5-17 in 2013. Binghamton has been runners-up seven times in the America East Conference, most recently in ‘11.

Ostrovetsky, whose grades are in the high 90’s and is in the National Honor Society, will major in pre-med.

And, yes, part of her summer plans include a return to the Ulster County Open.

With the exception of winning it all at states, Ostrovetsky couldn’t have written a better scenario for her final season at Wallkill.

Even the final point of her scholastic career could not have been sweeter.

Like a pitcher wanting to end with a strikeout, her final point against Manfredo in the state consolation final was an ace.